Council considers funding to change City Hall’s look
The $4.9 million in funding would replace much, but not all, of the 55-year old structure’s exterior marble veneer.
Bill Dries
Reporter
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for more than 40 years.
There are 3663 articles by Bill Dries :
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October 2021
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City of Memphis -
Shelby County Two new county redistricting maps start to show changes
The county’s redistricting effort is on its third and fourth proposed maps of what the new boundaries could look like for the 13 County Commission districts going into the 2022 elections. A “Poplar-Midtown corridor” in the East Memphis district caused a lot of debate.
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City of Memphis Council spars with TVA on coal ash disposal plan, role in Ford plant
The council is on record opposing TVA’s plan to truck coal ash from the old Allen Fossil Plant to a landfill in Capleville. The Tuesday council committee discussion also ventured into TVA’s role in the Blue Oval City Ford battery plant.
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Midtown Zoo parking deck price well above $3 million spending limit, city says
City Chief Operating Officer Doug McGowen talked with The Daily Memphian about the factors that led the city and zoo to return to a parking plan that would take some of the Overton Park greensward and several trees. Listen to the interview.
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City of Memphis $21-an-hour threshold for EDGE incentives faces long odds in council
City Council members took a test vote of sorts in committee sessions on a proposal to make pay of $21 an hour the minimum for getting tax breaks from EDGE. The new Ford plant in Haywood County came up in the discussion.
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City of Memphis New pipeline restrictions modeled on city process for telecom access
The City Council approved the pipeline right-of-way ordinance on the first of three votes Tuesday, Oct. 5. It covers the entire city, requiring a permitting process for any work done beneath or across city streets.
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City of Memphis Council approves $4.9 million for City Hall facade repairs
The council also delayed action on several resolutions awarding federal American Rescue Plan Act funding allocated for the council’s uses.
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Shelby County County Commission Scorecard: Early indicators of 2022 county election issues
The County Commission Scorecard highlights the commission’s choice of a new judicial commissioner and a call for U.S. Justice Department review of Juvenile Court and possibly a return to the federal oversight of the court that ended three years ago.
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Shelby County Halbert wants county audit after state finds no evidence of fraud or misuse
The county clerk is appealing for a county audit of how her office is funded a week after the Tennessee Comptroller ended a similar investigation, saying he found no evidence of fraud and that revenue in Halbert’s office was going where it was supposed to go.
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Elections Complex judicial races and issues bloom ahead of 2022 elections
A veteran Public Defender is seeking to become the first Indian-American to serve as a judge in Shelby County. But Sanjeev Memula is considering which of the nine criminal divisions of General Sessions Court he will seek.
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Spirit of Memphis Installation artist talks Tom Lee’s story, bringing Memphians together
Artist Theaster Gates talked Thursday about the installation having the same impact “The Bean” and the Tamir Rice Pavilion – both in Chicago – have had with the public finding the ultimate uses for them to make them destinations.
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Council member Morgan launches bid for Shelby County mayor
The two-term City Council member began an exploratory campaign earlier this year and formally launched his bid on Monday, Oct. 11.
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Elections Morgan opens county mayoral bid with criticism of pandemic response
The second-term Memphis City Council member declared his candidacy Monday, Oct. 11. In his interview with The Daily Memphian, Morgan talked about what to expect from his campaign.
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City of Memphis City parks division gets rebrand, new website
Memphis Parks Director Nick Walker discusses rebranding and a website that emphasizes programming in city parks, as well as plans for a return to amateur sports leagues.
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City of Memphis Tom Lee Park plan gets $800K in state funding for river’s edge trail
Memphis River Parks Partnership President Carol Coletta called the riverfront path “one of the most important parts of the park.”
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State Government Cohen endorses Smiley in Democratic primary for governor
In a statement released Tuesday, Oct. 12, by Smiley’s campaign, Cohen touted Smiley’s connection to the state’s major cities.
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Shelby County Shelby County stays with four-year property reappraisal cycle
The state Board of Equalization approved Wednesday, Oct. 13, keeping the four-year cycle after Shelby County Assessor Melvin Burgess Jr. changed his recommendation for a two-year cycle late last week to whichever one the state board preferred.
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City of Memphis City Council Scorecard: Test vote on EDGE incentives
The Council Scorecard looks at a lopsided council committee vote earlier this month on a new minimum wage for EDGE incentives and the outside events influencing it.
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Behind The Headlines Watch: Merger aims to bridge gap in affordable housing
The leaders of the two housing and community groups talked on “Behind The Headlines” about a larger scope and plan for affordable housing in a city that needs about 40,000 new units of the housing.
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Metro Coronavirus numbers continuing downward trend in Shelby County
Numbers are moving downward in every age group, Shelby County Health Department Director Dr. Michelle Taylor said.
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Spirit of Memphis Former First Lady calls for persistence during Freedom Awards
Former First Lady Michelle Obama was joined by Poor People’s Campaign founders Rev. William Barber and Liz Theoharis in an awards ceremony that was for the most part conducted live in an Orpheum theater without an audience.
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Behind The Headlines Watch: Tax break incentives never far from controversy and questions
A reporters roundtable on the WKNO program “Behind The Headlines” looks at the most recent chapter in a long-running civic discussion about tax break incentives for economic growth.
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City of Memphis Redrawing of SCS districts grows more complex
Meanwhile, the Shelby County Election Commission has underlined with a resolution that it needs to have redistricting maps for the school board and the Shelby County Commission no later than Nov. 8 to be ready for the 2022 county elections.
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Shelby County Crosby leaves as county finance director after two tumultuous budget seasons
Mathilde Crosby is leaving county government to return to the private financial sector.
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OpinionDries: Tales told by a headstone’s date
Fifty years after the death of Elton Hayes, a journey to his grave tells the story of the differences between Black and white in the Memphis of 1971 and the Memphis of today.
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